International drinks group Quintessential Brands is acquiring Dublin Whiskey Company as part of a €10m investment that will see it build a new Dublin whiskey distillery and visitor centre.
The firm said that the development will support up to 55 jobs over the next 18 months. It also announced the appointment of renowned Irish whiskey distiller Darryl McNally as general manager and master distiller of its Irish whiskey operations.
The multi-million euro acquisition includes the historic Old Mill Street building in the Liberties, which was traditionally the centre of whiskey distillation in Dublin. This latest investment follows Quintessential Brands Ireland’s acquisition of First Ireland Spirits in 2014, which included its Irish creams and liqueurs brand portfolio and production facility in Abbeyleix, Co Laois.
In 2015, Quintessential Brands Ireland invested €4m in doubling the production capacity of First Ireland Spirits, including the introduction of a whiskey bottling operation. It already employs 40 people in Ireland.
Commenting on the acquisition, Quintessential Brands’ CEO Warren Scott said: “The addition of the Dublin Whiskey Company paves the way for us to create an Irish whiskey distillery and a home for our Irish whiskey brands in the famous Liberties area of Dublin, which will allow us to further develop our Irish whiskey portfolio and become a leader in Irish spirits.”
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Daryl McNally was previously operations manager and master distiller at Bushmills Distillery, where he worked for 17 years. “I am delighted to have joined Quintessential Brands Ireland and look forward to developing the Dublin Whiskey Company by building a world-class distillery in the heart of Dublin, with a visitor experience like no other,” he said.
McNally added that The Dublin Whiskey Company distillery will produce single malt Irish whiskey and will have the first spirit flowing from the stills at the end of summer 2017.
Ed O’Flaherty, joint founder of Dublin Whiskey Company, said: “I am delighted with the sale to Quintessential Brands, who are going to complete our initial vision for the distillery. I will continue in the whiskey industry, working on my own projects.”
The Dubliner Irish Whiskey and The Dublin Liberties Irish Whiskey are already sold in a number of markets, including the USA, Ireland and the UK.
The company’s existing portfolio of Irish whiskey brands includes The Dubliner and The Dublin Liberties.
Quintessential Brands was founded by Enzo Visone, former CEO of Gruppo Campari, and former investment banker, Warren Scott in 2011. The company’s spirits portfolio includes Greenall’s The Original London Dry Gin, Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin and Toussaint Coffee Rum Liqueur, which are all produced by G&J Distillers.
Quintessential Brands Ireland’s core brand portfolio includes Feeney’s Irish Cream Liqueur and O’Mara’s Irish Country Cream.
Photo: Quintessential Brands CEO Warren Scott (left) and Darryl McNally, general manager and master distiller of Dublin Whiskey Company. (Pic: Conor McCabe)
